Anshuman Swain

Anshuman Swain

Harvard Society Fellow and James S. McDonnell Foundation Fellow
Javier Ortega-Hernández Lab
Naomi Pierce Lab
Anshuman Swain
I am a complex systems biologist, who applies 'systems' frameworks and methods to problems in ecology and evolution. In general, I am interested in how micro-scale processes and interactions in ecological/biological systems can cause emergent behaviors, phase transitions, or other 'system-level' properties at different spatiotemporal scales. I use various quantitative tools such as networks, agent-based simulations, and ODE models to explore these biological dynamics. I have had the privilege of working on a number of different systems such as microbial communities and their interactions, animal soundscapes, and paleo-ecological food webs. My current research interests, in particular, lie in exploring fossil plant-insect interactions and connecting our findings to modern herbivory and environmental change. I received my B.Sc. (Research) in Physics from the Indian Institute Of Science (IISc, Bangalore) in 2017 and was awarded my Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, which focused on investigating theoretical models of interactions in microbial ecology, from the University of Maryland (UMD, College Park) in 2022.